Jungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began on January 7, 1934, as an American newspaper

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics ter ...

chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle Jim. The character also trekked through radio, film, comic book and television adaptations. Ron Goulart, ''The Adventurous Decade''. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1975 (pp. 54, 65, 81) Notable was a series of films and television episodes in which Johnny Weissmuller portrayed the safari-suit wearing character, after hanging up his

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

loincloth. The strip concluded on August 8, 1954.

Publication history

The strip was created by King Features Syndicate in order to compete with the popular United Feature Syndicate comic strip ''

'', by

Hal Foster Harold Rudolf Foster, FRSA (August 16, 1892 – July 25, 1982) was a Canadian-American comic strip artist and writer best known as the creator of the comic strip '' Prince Valiant''. His drawing style is noted for its high level of draftsmanship ...

.Robert C. Harvey, ''The Art of The Funnies :An Aesthetic History''. Jackson : University Press of Mississippi, 1994.(pp. 124,127,132,135,137) Illustrator

Alex Raymond Alexander Gillespie Raymond Jr. (October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956) was an American cartoonist who was best known for creating the ''Flash Gordon'' comic strip for King Features Syndicate in 1934. The strip was subsequently adapted into many ...

and pulp magazine author Don Moore created the original strip as a topper to run above Raymond's ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established '' Buck Rogers'' adv ...

''. ''Jungle Jim'' and ''Flash Gordon'' were launched simultaneously on January 7, 1934. The character was named after Alex's brother

Jim Raymond James Crossley Raymond (February 25, 1917 – October 14, 1981) was an American comic strip artist and the younger brother of ''Flash Gordon'' artist Alex Raymond. He was also the great-uncle of actors Matt Dillon and Kevin Dillon. Biography Bor ...

. During World War II, artist Raymond enlisted as a

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...

. Successors included John Mayo (creator of ''Future Eye'') and Paul Norris (creator of

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

' '' Aquaman''). Don Moore continued to script through the succession of artists. The strip, which never ran as a

daily Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

, came to an end in 1954. From 1937 to 1947, the comic strip was reprinted in Ace Comics, published by David McKay. From 1949 to 1951, there were 11 original ''Jungle Jim'' comic books produced by Standard Comics.

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark" ...

published 20 issues of ''Jungle Jim'' from 1953 to 1959; the last eight issues (#13–20) were written by Gaylord Du Bois. King Features Syndicate published a single issue of ''Jungle Jim'' in 1967. This was designated #5 and was a reprint of Dell's issue #5 with a new cover by Wally Wood. Charlton Comics then picked up Dell's numbering for another seven issues (#22–28) in 1969–70 with stories scripted by Wood, Pat Boyette, Bhob Stewart, Joe Gill and others. Artists on the Charlton stories were Wood, Boyette, Steve Ditko, Roger Brand and Tom Palmer. In January 2015, Dynamite Entertainment announced a new series of Jungle Jim as part of their "King:Dynamite" series. This version of ''Jungle Jim'' is written by Paul Tobin and illustrated by Sandy Jarrell.

Characters and story

Unlike the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

s of ''

'', '' Ka-Zar'', ''Kaanga'' and other comics with jungle themes, Jim Bradley was based in Southeastern Asia rather than

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, and he was a hunter rather than a wild man in a loincloth. Other characters included the large, strong native Kolu (who served his white comrade Jim in a manner somewhat similar to the character of Lothar in '' Mandrake the Magician''). The femme fatale Lille DeVrille was added to the cast two years after the strip's debut. The comic's early years generally featured stories revolving around

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

rs and other common jungle antagonists. As

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

approached, ''Jungle Jim'', like many American comics, developed a wartime theme, with Jim fighting the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

ese, and it moved from its position as a topper strip to its own independent Sunday page.

Other media

Radio

Syndicated by Hearst and sponsored by the Comic Weekly, ''The Adventures of Jungle Jim'' radio series premiered November 2, 1935. Matt Crowley had the title role for three years, until Gerald Mohr stepped in as Jungle Jim beginning April 24, 1938. Vicki Vola and

Franc Hale Franc Hale (born – June 10, 1986) was an American actress. Early years Hale was a native of Tacoma. The spelling of her first name was a compromise after she was born, because her parents had been expecting a boy. They had chosen "Frank" as t ...

portrayed Shanghai Lil, and

Juano Hernandez Juano G. "Juano" Hernández (July 19, 1896 – July 17, 1970) was a Puerto Rican stage and film actor who was a pioneer in the African American film industry. He made his silent picture debut in ''The Life of General Villa'', and talking pi ...

was the Hindu servant Kolu. Each episode ran 15 minutes. Several episodes were based directly on the comic strip, such as ''The Ghost of the Java Sea''. Gene Stafford scripted for producer Jay Clark. Glenn Riggs was the announcer, among others. In the opening episode, "The Bat Woman," Jungle Jim meets Miss Chalmers, and Jacques LaBarr gets into a barroom fight with Jim.

Serial

*A 12-part ''Jungle Jim'' movie serial by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, starring Grant Withers, was released in 1937.

Feature Films

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

produced a series of 16 ''Jungle Jim'' B-movies from 1948 to 1955, set in Africa and starring Johnny Weissmuller, who had gained fame playing

. In the last three of these movies, the name "Jungle Jim" was not used. Rather the main character was referred to in the films as "Johnny Weissmuller", with Weissmuller essentially playing an idealized version of himself, as did cowboy stars Roy Rogers and

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

. This was because these three features were produced concurrently with a "Jungle Jim" TV series starring Weissmuller produced by Columbia's Screen Gems (see below) and the series at that point had the rights to the brand "Jungle Jim." (The "Weissmuller" jungle character was otherwise indistinguishable from Jungle Jim, and the final three films are commonly referred to as "Jungle Jim movies" though that is not technically accurate.) #'' Jungle Jim'' (1948) #'' The Lost Tribe'' (1949) #''

Mark of the Gorilla ''Mark of the Gorilla'' is 1950 Jungle Jim film starring Johnny Weissmuller. It was the third in the series. Plot Gorilla attacks on humans come as a surprise to Jungle Jim, since the creatures are not known to exist in this part of Africa. On hi ...

'' (1950) #''

Captive Girl ''Captive Girl'' is the fourth Jungle Jim film produced by Columbia Pictures. It was directed by William Berke and starred Johnny Weissmuller as the title character. It was also Weissmuller's second teaming with his fellow former Tarzan and Olympi ...

'' (1950) co-starred Buster Crabbe #''

Pygmy Island ''Pygmy Island'' is a 1950 Jungle Jim film starring Johnny Weissmuller as the title character. It was movie number five in the series. Production Filming started 19 June 1950. Katzman hired several midget actors to play pygmies. The film was shot ...

'' (1950) #'' Fury of the Congo'' (1951) #''

Jungle Manhunt ''Jungle Manhunt'' is a 1951 adventure film written by Samuel Newman and directed by Lew Landers. It was the seventh entry in the "Jungle Jim" series of films starring Johnny Weissmuller as the title character. Based on the comic strip "Jungle J ...

'' (1951) #''

Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land ''Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land'' is a 1952 American black-and-white adventure film directed by Lew Landers and written by Samuel Newman, and starring Johnny Weissmuller as the title character. This was the eighth entry in Columbia's "Jungle ...

'' (1952) #'' Voodoo Tiger'' (1952) #''

Savage Mutiny ''Savage Mutiny'' is a 1953 Jungle Jim film starring Johnny Weissmuller. It was the tenth entry in the series. Plot Cast References External links''Savage Mutiny''at IMDb''Savage Mutiny''at TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an Americ ...

'' (1953) #'' Valley of Head Hunters'' (1953) #'' Killer Ape'' (1953) #'' Jungle Man-Eaters'' (1954) #'' Cannibal Attack'' (1954) #''

Jungle Moon Men ''Jungle Moon Men'' (1955) is the fifteenth Jungle Jim film produced by Columbia Pictures. It features Johnny Weissmuller in his second performance as the protagonist adventurer Johnny Weissmuller. The film was directed by Charles S. Gould and wri ...

'' (1955) #'' Devil Goddess'' (1955)

TV Series

*A single-season Screen Gems television series ran in 1955–56, as ''Jungle Jim''. There were 26 episodes, all starring Weissmuller. (See Jungle Jim (TV series))

Comic Strip Reprints

* ''Jungle Jim''. Street Enterprises Menomonee Falls, Wis. , 1971 (reprints July 14 – October 27, 1935 strips) * ''Jungle Jim''. Pacific Comics Club, Papeete, Tahiti (reprints April 12, 1936 – June 30, 1937) * ''Jungle Jim''. Pacific Comics Club, Papeete, Tahiti (reprints March 20, 1938, – August 7, 1938) * ''Jungle Jim''. Pacific Comics Club, Papeete, Tahiti (reprints August 14, 1938 – May 21, 1939) * ''Jungle Jim''. Pacific Comics Club, Papeete, Tahiti (reprints September 15, 1940 – May 4, 1941) * ''Jungle Jim''. Pacific Comics Club, Papeete, Tahiti (reprints June 15, 1941– 20 December 1942) * ''The Official Jungle Jim Annual''. : Pioneer Comics, Las Vegas, NV 1989 * ''The Official Jungle Jim Sundays: v. 1'' Pioneer Comics, Las Vegas, NV, 1989 (reprints July 14, 1935 – May 16, 1937) * ''The Official Jungle Jim Sundays: v. 2, Death In The Jungle'' Pioneer Comics, Las Vegas, NV, 1989 (reprints May 16, 1937 – March 12, 1939) * ''Definitive Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim Volume 1: 1934–1936'' San Diego, Calif.

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly re ...

. * ''Definitive Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim Volume 2: 1936–1939'' San Diego, Calif. IDW Publishing * ''Definitive Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim Volume 3: 1939–1941'' San Diego, Calif. IDW Publishing * ''Definitive Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim Volume 4: 1942–1944'' San Diego, Calif. IDW Publishing

Merchandise

In 1957, Louis Marx and Company marketed a ''Jungle Jim'' playset with character figures and generic jungle figures (hunters, natives, wild animals).

References

External links

Jungle Jim
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Archived
from the original on October 22, 2016.
Strickler, Dave. ''Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924–1995: The Complete Index''. Cambria, California: Comics Access, 1995.

''Jungle Jim'' comic books

Zoot Radio, free old time radio show downloads of ''Jungle Jim.''
{{King Features Syndicate Comics Charlton Comics titles 1934 comics debuts 1954 comics endings Film series introduced in 1948 American comics characters Comics characters introduced in 1934 Dell Comics titles Film serial characters Jungle (genre) comics Jungle superheroes Jungle men American radio dramas 1935 radio programme debuts Radio programs based on comic strips Comics adapted into radio series American comics adapted into films Comics adapted into television series Male characters in comics